As a fleet manager, you cannot afford costly downtime. Keeping your trucks on the road is how you keep business operations running to positively impact your company’s bottom line. Consistently maintaining your trucks ensures that your drivers are always safe on the road, so your business never becomes a victim of downtime. Maintaining your fleet – from truck repair to maintenance logs –helps keep your business running efficiently, increases uptime, and improves your business from top to bottom.
Educate Your Drivers
Teaching your drivers about truck efficiency, maintenance, and warning signs is one of the best ways to keep your fleets on schedule and on the road. Make sure your drivers know how to check tire pressure and tread wear to prevent flat tires or possible accidents. Your drivers need to be aware of all the road signs so they can avoid accidents on the road, which can result in costly downtime and truck repair. By teaching your driver’s everything there is to know about the road, how to perform preventative maintenance, and what to do in case of an emergency, they will be more prepared when performing daily drives. Empowering your workforce with the knowledge needed to get the job done increases your company’s uptime.
Fuel Tracking Technology
One of the most expensive operating costs for fleet managers is purchasing fuel. Thankfully, there is fuel tracking technology that allows fleet managers to manage fuel consumption, which minimizes costs and boosts productivity. Fuel tracking technology combines with GPS to detect your drivers’ location and sends it to you in real-time.
The data will show current fuel levels and gives you the advantage of knowing where, how, and why drivers use certain amounts of fuel. These in-depth insights show you drivers who may burn through fuel too quickly with fast driving or taking inefficient routes. You can create efficient processes that save your company valuable time and money by grasping the exact reasons as to why fuel consumption is draining your company’s bottom line.
Fleet Management Software
Investing in fleet management software gives you a competitive edge and strong handle on business operations. Leveraging data about your business to make informed, educated decisions increase productivity and operational efficiency. Fleet management applications give you and your drivers the tools to record truck issues, schedule maintenance checks, monitor staff’s driving, and more. This allows you to have a 360-foot-view of your entire fleet so you can uncover issues and put in place systems and processes to enhance your business. By streamlining your operations, you reduce costs by spending less time dealing with paperwork. With all-in-one fleet management software, you can reduce maintenance costs with vehicle diagnostics and service reminders, so you and your staff are always on top of preventing accidents or truck wear and tear.
Regular Truck Repair
Scheduling regular truck repair keeps your vehicles up-to-date and running so your business can run at optimal performance. Preventative maintenance is the key to running a successful fleet business. When vehicles are inspected, repair and regular maintenance can prevent unforeseen accidents or violations from outdated parts. Skipping preventative maintenance increases your risk of equipment breakdowns, resulting in costly downtime. Preventative maintenance has a positive impact on your company’s bottom line by saving you money from expensive truck repairs that could have been prevented.
Keeping Equipment Maintenance Logs
Maintenance logs are records of information about the amount of work performed on pieces of equipment. Keeping track of maintenance history keeps you informed about the condition of trucks and how long it has been since they have received proper care and attention. There is a variety of maintenance log software available to fleet managers to keep track of preventative and repair maintenance. Drivers and fleet managers can update data in real-time about the status of their trucks, the last time maintenance was performed, and request parts that may be needed. With the information being readily available online, fleet managers can act quickly to order parts or schedule maintenance. As more trucking capabilities become digital, the move to embrace the digital experience can be significant for your organization’s growth.
Outsourcing Fleet Maintenance
If performing regular maintenance is not an option, many fleet operators use outsourced maintenance partners to do the work. With outsourced maintenance, fleet managers can take comfort knowing that their trucks and drivers are taken care of due to the technical expertise that comes with hiring professional maintenance groups. Outsourced technicians mitigate risk by following the guidelines to perform the work. Not to mention, most outsourced technicians are available 24/7 and can be a reliable asset to use during downtime or when a truck is not running the way it should. With outsourced maintenance experts, fleet managers can experience quality, trusted maintenance services that get the job done.
Want to Learn More About How to Better Maintain Your Fleet?
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